Laticia Ambroz
DemocraticQ1 In June 2026, USDA confirmed New World screwworm in Texas livestock for the first time in decades; as of early July, dozens of infestations have been confirmed across South Texas (USDA APHIS , 2026). USDA estimates a full-scale outbreak comparable to past infestations could cost the regional economy billions of dollars (USDA APHIS). What policies, if any, would you support to respond to the current outbreak and improve Texas’s agricultural biosecurity (practices and safeguards that prevent pests and diseases from spreading through livestock populations), and what evidence or considerations would inform that approach?
Our Texas beef industry is the lifeblood for so many ranching families. I know that efforts are being made to stop the spread of the screwworm. Could we have helped prevent the spread into Texas? I believe that we could have. Our neighbor to the south, Mexico, we could have partnered with them to help control the spread of the screwworm. There is no hard boundary for this pest and economic prevention and partnering goes a long way. We need to pay attention and participate in what is happening around us and with our neighboring countries.
Keywords: Screwworm, Economic partnering with neighboring countries.
Q2 Texas is on track to become the nation’s leading data center market within the next three years (Bloom Energy, 2026). The state’s grid operator has more than doubled its 2030 forecast for data center power demand over the past year (ERCOT, 2025). Such growth brings economic opportunity while placing significant demands on water, land, and energy systems, raising questions about tax incentives, utility costs, and local community impacts. What policies, if any, would you support around water/energy allocation, tax incentives, or utility costs for data center development in Texas, and what evidence informs that position?
PUT THE BRAKES ON! The door was left wide open for data centers, and we must close that door and require data centers to do their due diligence, because they can do better. Economic opportunity, they offer very little. No significant jobs, data centers put an unreasonable drain on our already dated infrastructure; water and electricity. Texas is second in the nation in data centers, and we do not reap tax benefits or job creation. It is big tech creating more for themselves at the expense of Texans.
Keywords: Data Centers, jobs, water, electricity
Q3 Texas faces flooding while simultaneously experiencing water scarcity driven by drought, groundwater depletion, and population growth (TWDB, 2024). Hundreds of Texas waterways are listed as impaired for bacteria, mercury, and other pollutants, threatening water quality for communities across the state (TCEQ, 2024). Agriculture is the largest consumer of the state’s groundwater, yet it is also well positioned to be a valuable partner in conservation efforts. What policies, if any, would you support to improve Texas’s water infrastructure, and what considerations would guide your approach to the state’s agricultural economy?
We must be better stewards of our environment. There is only a finite amount of water. That means controlling the pollutants we are releasing into waterways, using desalinated operations, and making sure that we are using best practices in conservation when it comes to agriculture, industrial, residential, and pleasure uses.
Keywords: Water, conservation
Q4 The Texas power grid continues to face strain from extreme heat and increasing demand, including from data centers. What policies, if any, would you support to improve grid reliability for Texas consumers and businesses?
Put data centers on pause. The power grid system has been deficient for years. This issue needs to be addressed immediately. Will it be expensive? Yes!!! and that is why it has not been remedied. Texas has the funds, this would be a long-term project, it would provide local jobs (which data centers do not), it would be reinvesting in Texas. If we want Texas to be the best state in the union and attract jobs and industry, then we have to make a commitment to take care of the power grid.
Keywords: Power grid, jobs
Q5 Texas universities and hospitals receive approximately $1.9 billion annually in NIH funding across 118 research sites, supporting tens of thousands of jobs and driving medical and scientific innovation (FASEB, 2025). NIH grants reimburse institutions for both direct research costs and indirect costs, the facilities, administration, and support infrastructure that make research possible. A 15% indirect cost cap proposed by NIH in 2025, currently blocked by federal courts, would sharply reduce this reimbursement below the rates Texas institutions have negotiated, cutting an estimated $300 million in annual support that institutions would need to absorb or backfill (Kamerlin & Elias, 2025). What policies, if any, would you support at the state or federal level to protect the long-term stability of Texas’s research infrastructure, and why?
We should be on the cutting edge of research. We want to have the brightest and best doctors, nurses, mental and health facilities. I do not feel that cutting funds is the way to promote vitally important research. We do need to make sure that funds are used wisely.
Keywords: Healthcare
Q6 Texas kindergartners’ measles vaccination rate fell to 93.24% in the 2024-2025 school year, a decline from prior years amid a national resurgence (Texas Department of State Health Services, 2025). That year, Texas recorded 762 confirmed measles cases, including the deaths of two unvaccinated school-age children, in the state’s largest outbreak since 1992 (Texas DSHS, 2025). Measles can cause serious complications: roughly 1 in 5 unvaccinated people who contract it are hospitalized, and it can lead to pneumonia, brain swelling, or death (CDC). As a policymaker, how do you approach engaging with communities that have concerns about infectious disease outbreaks and vaccine safety, and what policies, if any, would you support related to these issues, and why?
We have years and years of research, data, and facts. I do feel like having proof of vaccines for school registration is a benefit. I also know that some communities do not believe in these vaccines, and for those maybe they sign a medical waiver of some sort. It is a tricky situation, and everyone has the right to refuse or take vaccines. They have proven to be safe and saved lives. Younger generations do not remember children in iron lungs, deaths and the lifelong ailments of polio. It is all about facts and education.
Keywords: Vaccines
Q7 Scientific evidence is generated through the systematic testing and evaluation of ideas. It provides knowledge the helps us understand the world and predict the likely consequences of different choices, such policy making related to public health, energy, agriculture, and environmental regulation. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you evaluate competing or uncertain scientific claims when making policy decisions? What role, if any, should that process play when scientific consensus and public opinion diverge?
Scientific evidence and expert input are invaluable when making decisions. We also have to be flexible when new information comes along and be allowed to make new and better decisions. Public opinion can be difficult to persuade if opinions are out of habit or evidence has not been presented. I think it falls back to education and giving the public all the evidence to make educated decisions.